Arsenal host Sunderland at the weekend in the FA Cup third round, and whilst the priorities for the Gunners will still be the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, the possibility of a ‘three-peat’ of FA Cup wins is something that will likely motivate the players and manager.
Gunners goalkeeper Petr Cech was not at the club for the previous two cup wins but having won the competition four times at Chelsea, he is well aware of how important it is is, and he recently told Arsenal’s official website why he is still a huge fan of the oldest cup competition in world football.
I always say it is a special competition.
I always love to play in FA Cup games because first you start with the fact you can play teams in lower divisions.
The atmosphere and everything surrounding the game [underlines] the fact that this could be history for the club you play against. Even if you play a club in the Premier League, the elements of the away fans changes for FA Cup games.
The away team has a much bigger support than all the other games and the atmosphere is lifted. If you take the history of the cup – it is the oldest competition in the world and that is special in itself.
Cech also spoke about the potential of playing a game at Wembley if a side manages to reach the semi-final stage is still something that he looks at for motivation, despite making numerous appearances at the national stadium.
I always love to play the FA Cup no matter the team we play because it is always special to be involved.The second reason is if you play in the final or semi final you get to play at Wembley Stadium.
The second reason is if you play in the final or semi final you get to play at Wembley Stadium.
You always play big games there. This means once you go to the game you have this pressure, tension and atmosphere, so they are always the games you look forward to playing in and that is why the FA Cup is special for me.
Whether Cech plays at the weekend is still unclear as Arsene Wenger might decide to rest him and give David Ospina a game between the sticks.
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